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Monday, December 1, 2014

Vatican City, 1 December 2014 (VIS) –
This morning Pope Francis received the prelates of the Swiss Bishops'
Conference at the end of their five-yearly “ad Limina” visit and
handed them the text of the discourse he had prepared in advance, in
which he referred to the country's long Christian tradition and the
responsibility of prelates to keep faith strong. “Without living
faith in the risen Christ, your beautiful churches and monasteries
will gradually transform into museums; all the commendable works and
institutions lose their soul, leaving behind only empty spaces and
abandoned people”, he writes. “The mission that has been
entrusted to you is to nurture your flock, proceeding in accordance
with current circumstances. … The People of God cannot exist
without their pastors, bishops and priests; the Lord has given the
Church the gift of the apostolic succession in the service of the
unity of faith and its full transmission”.

In this way, the Pope encourages them
to continue their efforts in the formation of the seminarians, which
constitutes the challenge for the future of the Church, and invites
them to pay attention to their priests, especially in the case of
estrangement or when the meaning of episcopal paternity appears to be
forgotten. “A humble, honest and fraternal dialogue often enables a
new beginning”, he writes. Similarly, he urges the bishops to
acknowledge the support and efforts of the laity, differentiating
between the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial
priesthood. He encourages them to continue in the formation of the
baptised regarding the truths of faith and their importance to
liturgy, the parish, family and life, and to carefully select
personnel to permit the laity to be truly integrated in and to take
their rightful place in the Church.

The Holy Father mentions that the
Church was born in Pentecost when the apostles went out and spoke in
all languages thus reaching all mankind through the power of the Holy
Spirit, and he recalls the Redeemer's invitation to preach the Gospel
to all, proclaiming the Good News without bending to the whims of
man. Finally, he imparts his apostolic blessing and expresses his
hope that they may continue to cultivate God's field with diligence
and patience, maintaining their passion for the truth, and he
encourages them to entrust the future of evangelisation in their
country to the Virgin Mary and to the intercession of St. Nicolas de
Flue, St. Maurice, and their companions.

Vatican City, 1 December 2014 (VIS) –
Yesterday, as is his custom, Pope Francis spoke with the journalists
accompanying him on the return flight from Istanbul to Rome. The
questions touched mostly on the themes of relations between Islam and
Christianity, and ecumenism.

The Holy Father affirmed that the
Qu'ran is a book of peace and that Islam cannot be equated with
terrorism; however, he remarked, it is necessary for Muslim
political, religious and academic leaders to condemn terrorist
attacks so that the people may hear this directly from such figures.
He also revealed that in the Blue Mosque, he prayed above all for
peace. Referring later on to so-called “Christianophobia” or
anti-Christian sentiment, as opposed to “Islamophobia”, he
underlined that today there are many Christian martyrs among the
populations of the Middle East, and he mentioned those compelled to
leave their homes. This martyrdom has been the fate of faithful of
different Christian confessions and has given rise to an “ecumenism
of blood”.

With regard to the Middle East, he
spoke about the situation in Syria, condemning the traffic and sale
of arms, and reiterated that behind every war there are always
political and economic problems and commercial interests, in attempts
to save a system that accords centrality to the god of money, rather
than human beings. The Pope observed that it seems to him we are
experiencing a third world war, fragmented and dispersed in various
places, and expressed his wish to go to Iraq, although he remarked
that at the moment it would not be possible since it would create
important problems for the authorities and difficulties regarding
security. Francis revealed that he considers the opening of the
Turkish-Armenian border to be a very important issue, but is aware
that there are political issues that make this difficult, and he
invited prayer to contribute to making this opening possible.

The Pope focused closely on the
question of ecumenism, commenting that it is a path that must be
followed together and stressing the importance of spiritual ecumenism
– praying, working and carrying out charitable works together. He
added that with orthodoxy, this joint path is proving successful
thanks to the sacraments and the apostolic succession, and that it
will be fundamental to provide an answer to the question posed by
John Paul II when he asked the Orthodox to help arrive at a formula
for primacy acceptable to these Churches. He also expressed his wish
to go to Moscow in order to meet with the Patriarch Kiril, but not at
the moment due to the pressing problems in Ukraine. Again in relation
to ecumenism, he stressed that when the Church looks inwardly to
herself rather than at Christ, when she believes herself to be a
creator of light rather than a bringer of light, she creates
divisions. Finally, he remarked on the desire of Christians to be
able to celebrate Easter on the same date.

One of the final questions related to
the recent Synod of Bishops, and the Holy Father affirmed that the
Synod is a path and a process, and therefore a person's opinion or a
draft document cannot be given consideration. Nor is the Synod a
parliament, but rather a protected space where one may let the voice
of the Spirit be heard.

Vatican City, 30 November 2014 (VIS) –
Pope Francis chose to conclude his final day in Turkey by meeting a
group of around a hundred refugees and asylum seekers. Christians and
Muslims, they were mostly from Iraq and Syria, although some were
from other countries in the Middle East and Africa, and have been
assisted for some time by the Salesian community in Istanbul. The
meeting took place in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

“I wish to assure you that I share
your sufferings; I hope my visit, by the grace of God, may offer you
some consolation in your difficult situation”, said the Pope.
“Yours is the sad consequence of brutal conflicts and war, which
are always evils and which never solve problems. Rather, they only
create new ones”.

He emphasised the difficulty of the
living conditions of refugees, who often find themselves deprived,
sometimes for long periods, of “basic needs such as a dignified
home, healthcare, education and work. They have had to abandon not
only their material possessions, but above all their freedom,
closeness to family, their homeland and cultural traditions. The
degrading conditions in which so many refugees are forced to live are
intolerable! For this reason, we must do everything possible to
eradicate the causes of this situation. I appeal for greater
international cooperation to resolve the conflicts which are causing
bloodshed in your homelands, to counter the other causes which are
driving people to leave their home countries, and to improve
conditions so that people may remain or return home. I encourage all
who are working generously and steadfastly for justice and peace not
to lose heart. I ask political leaders to always remember that the
great majority of their people long for peace, even if at times they
lack the strength and voice to demand it”.

The Holy Father praised the work of
many organisations in aid of refugees, including numerous Catholic
groups “which offer generous aid to many in need without
discriminating. I wish also to express deep gratitude to the Turkish
authorities for the great efforts they have made in assisting the
displaced, in particular Syrian and Iraqi refugees, and for the
authorities’ tangible commitment in trying to meet their needs. I
hope that the necessary support of the international community may
not be lacking”.

He offered some words of encouragement
to the young people present. “It is easy to say this, but please
make an effort not to be discouraged. With the help of God, continue
to hope in a better future, despite the difficulties and obstacles
which you are currently facing. The Catholic Church is with you,
including through the invaluable work of the Salesians. The Church,
in addition to other forms of help, also offers you the opportunity
to see to your education and formation. Remember always that God does
not forget any of his children, and that those who are the smallest
and who suffer the most are closest to the Father’s heart”.

“For my part, together with the whole
Church, I will continue to pray to the Lord, asking him to inspire
those in leadership, so that they will not hesitate to promote
justice, security and peace and do so in ways that are clear and
effective”, he concluded. “Through her social and charitable
organisations, the Church will remain at your side and will continue
to hold up your cause before the world. May God bless you all! Please
pray for me. Thank you!”

Following the meeting, the Pope
proceeded to the hospital to visit the Armenian Orthodox Patriarch
Mesrob II, who was admitted some years ago and remains in a coma. He
subsequently went to Ataturk Airport where, after farewell greetings
with the local civil and religious authorities, he departed for Rome.
The aircraft carrying the Holy Father landed at 6.40 p.m. Before
returning to the Vatican, he stopped in the Basilica of St. Mary
Major to commend the fruits of his apostolic trip in Turkey to the
Virgin.

Vatican City, 1 December 2014 (VIS) –
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care
of the diocese of Mocoa-Sibundoy, Colombia, presented by Bishop Luis
Alberto Parra Mora, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code
of Canon Law.